It takes time
by mixthealphabet
Summary: For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs. / Royai drabbles. Chapter 7: Liar.
1. Lighting

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Lighting**

There was something about the lighting in the room. That had got to be it, because Roy Mustang just couldn't imagine any other reason for what his eyes were seeing.

It was not like he had never noticed her before, of course. She was there sometimes, when he was studying with her father in order to become an alchemist. Even then, young and naïve, Riza had been one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

Still, his respect for her father and his ambition had stopped him from truly analyzing what she could mean to him, had he tried anything with her.

In a way, he guessed, it just wasn't their time.

But, was this?

Roy glanced around him, trying to conceal his embarrassment from her as dark eyes shifted through the sunbathed living room with anxiety. Riza was standing with her back turned to him, arms securing her blouse around her front in an attempt to keep her modesty.

Needless to say that it wasn't doing anything to quell his imagination.

Her blonde hair was short, but it still caught the light that came from outside, adding to the mystic look of her silhouette. Riza's skin was fair with a golden property to it, like she had tiny fragments of the metal covering her.

It all made him want to reach out and touch her.

Roy blinked, awakening from his trance as Riza looked over her shoulder, reddish eyes staring at him in curiosity.

"Do you think you can figure out what father meant by these figures?"

Father. Yes, his teacher, the man who had taken Roy under his wing after so many had refused him.

The man took a moment to answer, recovering his breath after taking so long to rearrange his thoughts.

"I might, but we'll never know if I don't try."

His reply was light, in a tone Roy hoped to be comforting. Riza smiled back at him, bringing a hand to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

He gulped down his uneasiness, attempting to focus on the images instead of the woman they were tattooed on.

Roy clenched his hands into fists, pressing them to his sides, watching the smooth inked skin of her back move with each breath Riza took. It tempted his touch, awakening something in him that made knots in his stomach.

It had to be the lighting.

* * *

This is the first of a series, ok? Just a bit of royai to calm down my feelings.


	2. Mug

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Mug**

That damned mug was mocking him, Roy was sure of it.

The idea was preposterous, but the tired mind of the Colonel wasn't able to fully grasp the ridiculousness of it. Such mental works should be reserved for later hours of the day, when the sun had actually taken its rightful place in the sky and when his subordinates were in his office, not in their beds, sleeping.

Roy Mustang rubbed his temples, glaring at the mug with all his might.

"Lieutenant, what is this?"

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye turned to him, stopping her movements of searching for the correct folders with the papers involving their latest case. Her expression was calm, like it always was, in a mixture of detachment and kindness that never failed to take his breath away. This time, though, there was something in the twist of her lips that made the Colonel think she looked almost amused.

"It's green tea, sir." She answered efficiently.

"I know that, Lieutenant." Roy sighed, feeling his eyelids turn even heavier as he struggled to remain awake. "What I meant is: why is this green tea, instead of coffee?"

The woman turned back to her desk, gathering several of the documents before approaching him. This time, there was a small smile in her face. Roy couldn't help but wonder how incredible it was that such a simple change could make her look so different, so much more juvenile.

"Too much caffeine makes you fidgety and, then, you'll do just about anything but your work, before finally tiring yourself so much that you'll fall asleep the moment you sit down." Riza explained, dropping the papers in front of him with a muffled thud. "Smaller doses, like the ones in green tea, will help you stay awake without causing so many annoyances to me."

He knew it all made sense, that she was right. Few were the situations in which she wasn't. However, like it was said previously, Roy's mind wasn't working properly. It remained slowed down by sleep, too lethargic to process how the facts went against his wants.

The colonel groaned, letting his forehead hit the desktop.

"But I like coffee." He moaned like a spoiled child.

Lieutenant Hawkeye observed him, entertained by her superior's behavior. She had seen him like this many times before, but it was always interesting to watch as Roy Mustang, the famous Flame Alchemist, fought against one of his few weaknesses: paperwork.

Riza leaned forward, grabbing the collar of his jacket and folding it correctly, as he hadn't bothered to do so when dressing himself that morning. She felt him incline his neck into her touch, savoring the warmth of it.

She retracted, startled.

The man didn't show any sign of noticing how his actions had surprised her and continued to mumble against the wooden panel, whining about disliking tea.

The woman took a step back, turning her head in order to hide the light blush that had taken her complexion. His familiarity with her was something that she didn't understand, nor desire, for it seemed to awaken thoughts that were completely inappropriate to her position as his subordinate.

_Roy Mustang had many desires,_ Riza thought, _but she wasn't one of them._

"Sir, I _will_ use my gun if that's what it takes for you to drink the tea and get to work." She warned, trying to conceal how amused she actually was.

The result was instantaneous, as he stood up straight, grabbing the mug with one hand and one of the folders with the other.

Her laughter was soft while the Lieutenant slipped back into her desk, sorting through whatever documents remained in her possession.

Roy smiled into the mug, suddenly satisfied with how his morning had started.

* * *

Oh, yet another drabble. I will try to update these frequently, but college life is killing me. You can prompt me in the reviews, if you want to. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this.


	3. Parenthesis

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Parenthesis**

_noun (plural __**parentheses**__ /-siːz/)_

**1 **A word or phrase inserted as an explanation or afterthought into a passage which is grammatically complete without it, in writing usually marked off by brackets, dashes, or commas: _in a challenging parenthesis, Wordsworth comments on the evil effects of contemporary developments_

(**Parentheses**) a pair of round brackets ( ) used to mark off a parenthetical word or phrase: _the stage number is added in parentheses to the name or formula_

**2 **An interlude or interval: _the three months of coalition government were a lamentable political parenthesis_

* * *

Things were quiet; in the country, in his office, in his life. For the first time in who knew how many years, there were no wars to fight, no conspiracy to investigate, not even psychos to hunt down.

Quietude had taken Amestris and Roy Mustang didn't like it.

He had nothing against the tranquility of it; he would be a fool if he had. However, the lack of occurrences felt too much like numbness for it to satisfy him. He was, after all, a man of action, the Flame Alchemist, and doing nothing had never been an option to him.

Maybe he was just a pessimist. While others enjoyed the peace that had settled in their country, he remained hesitant, waiting for a new storm to turn his world upside down.

It must be difficult to accept such changes when all you have ever known is fight, I suppose.

And Roy… Well, all _he_ had ever done was fight.

Ever since he was a boy, trying to prove himself worth of his stepmother's love, struggling with society's judgments of his family and seeking alchemic knowledge in order to make something of himself, Roy had been in constant battle with the world.

It was strange to fall into inertness after spending so much time on the move.

"You have that look on your face again, sir." The voice was loud, but tender, grabbing his attention instantly.

Dark eyes shifted upwards, focusing on the gentle traces of Riza Hawkeye's expression. She was smiling at him, softness in her gaze as she waited for him to reply to her comment. The sight tugged at something in his chest, provoking a twist of his lips.

It was hard not to smile back at her.

Crossing his hands under his chin as he leaned towards her, Roy put on his best smirk.

"Yes, I suppose I did." He relented. "Aren't you going to ask me what my thoughts were about?"

The cockiness in his tone wasn't lost to her and the woman raised an eyebrow at him. His antics could be so absurd, sometimes, that she couldn't help it but to enjoy his nonsense.

_Even if it can be infuriating when I'm trying to get him to do his paperwork._

"I know better than that, General." She answered, flashing him a grin. "What goes on a man's mind should stay there, for I don't know how many remarks on mini-skirts I can handle before refusing to follow you anymore, sir."

It was a joke, of course. She would follow him into hell if he asked her to. She _had_ followed him into hell, you could say.

He pouted anyway, making her laugh.

Roy's expression relaxed then, and his dark eyes stared at her in admiration as Riza shook her head from side to side, strands of short blonde hair shifting with the movement.

In a way, they had fallen into quietude as well.

After everything that had happened to them in the Promise Day, things had just returned to normal, without any awkwardness. Their silent understandings had always been a source of comfort and annoyance to him, as Roy never seemed to be able to decide whether he wanted things to remain the same or not; she always made that decision for him.

_It was a parenthesis_, the alchemist decided, _an ever present interlude that he seemed unable to break_.

With one final look at the woman and a sigh, Roy went back to the documents in front of him, looking for something, _anything_, that could disrupt this apathy.

The man blinked, frowning in curiosity as his eyes shifted through one of the memorandums. A pleased smirk made its way into his lips and he had to stop himself from laughing out loud.

For once, his goal and his pessimism would have to wait.

Roy stood up, scribbling his signature on the paper with a quick motion, before crossing the room and depositing it on top of the "urgent dispatch" files.

His subordinate accompanied him with eyes full of confusion, tilting her head to the side as the man made his way to her desk.

"General, what was t-" But she didn't finish what she was saying, for the man took her hand in his, leaning over the table so that he could look right into her eyes, a molten expression of pure charm in his face.

"So, Riza, I was thinking…" He paused, smirking at her. "It's about time we stopped pretending."

The woman blinked, clearly still bewildered by his actions. She looked from him to the pile of documents on the other side of the room and her face broke into understanding. She smiled, blushing lightly.

"Yes, I guess it is."

Roy lowered his lips to her hand, winking at her as he went back to his desk.

"Dinner tonight, then." He said over his shoulder, a nonchalant tone to his words that made her scoff. "I'll make the reservations." Riza suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at his arrogance, but merely chuckled.

It sure had taken him a long time to break out of the parenthesis.

* * *

Yey, another chapter. Sorry, my royai feelings have been acting up. Anyway... These won't have much of a linear timeline, cause my thoughts don't know what beginning, middle and ending means, apparently. I hope you guys like it, though. The pieces are still connected, don't worry!


	4. Quotation marks and an explanation

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Quotation marks and an explanation**

_noun_

each of a set of punctuation marks, single (' ') or double (" "), used either to mark the beginning and end of a title or quoted passage, or to indicate that a word or phrase is regarded as slang or jargon or is being discussed rather than used within the sentence.

* * *

"They sure are busy up here, aren't they, Jules?"

"Carvis, can you just pick up the documents before the General comes back? You know he gives me the creeps!"

"It's the eyes, I tell ya. Murderer eyes, it's what the soldiers call them. The war does that to fellas like him."

"Urgh! Will you stop pulling at your eyelids like that?"

"Why? Does it give you the creeps, as well?"

"Don't laugh at me. And no, it just makes you look like a dying fish! Now, seriously, what do you mean by fellas like him? The Flame Alchemist always seemed like quite a decent guy, in spite of… You know; how he freaks me out."

"Yeah, they say he is sort of a goody goody. That's just it, actually. He is an idealist. The military is no place for those."

"Just because you're so much of a conformist doesn't mean everybody else has to be. Amestris needs new minds like his or we would stay with the same outdated rules forever."

"Talking about outdated rules, look at this, Jules."

"You can't read the urgent files! We just get them where they need to be, we don't read what they are saying!"

"Calm down, man. It's no big deal, really. Just… Hear me, ok?"

"Fine. But, if we get caught, I'm pushing it all on you, Carvis."

"_After careful examination of the characteristics of our Military system and of the ties that bind each and every individual involved in it, the Fuhrer decided to revoke the Fraternization rules, which involved the prohibition of relationships between militaries of different rank. This decision took into account several occurrences that were brought up to the Fuhrer's attention recently, and it is effective immediately_."

"Wow, Carvis, that sure is a big change!"

"You can say that again… This damned rule has been breaking couples up and ruining careers since I can remember. I always knew there was a reason I liked Grumman."

* * *

Not much, but I felt like I needed to explain the last chapter a bit. It just felt entertaining to do it, sorry. I hope you guys are not disappointed or anything. Tell me what you think about the stories so far, my urge to write is directly related to the feedback I get!


	5. Friendship

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Friendship**

_noun_

_The emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends: old ties of love and friendshipthis is an ideal group for finding support and friendship_

_[Count noun] a relationship between friends: she formed close friendships with women_

_A state of mutual trust and support between allies: because of the friendship between our countries, we had a very frank exchange_

* * *

Riza Hawkeye enjoyed his company, in spite of his never ending blather.

In a way, the manner Maes Hughes was able to ramble on about the simplest of things was part of why she liked him so much; there was never an awkward moment with him, for the man knew how to make anyone feel comfortable in his presence.

The woman smiled to himself, only half listening as he continued to tell her about his little baby girl.

Despite what others might say, she could understand pretty easily how someone like Hughes was friends with the Colonel. The two of them were dreamers; too smart to be optimistic but dreamers nonetheless. Their ideals were never crushed by the dreadfulness of their reality, because their sights could go beyond the misery of what was, to the hope of what could be.

She admired that in them.

"We are friends, aren't we, Riza?"

His question took her by surprise and the blonde turned to look at him with widened eyes that shined in the warm light of the sun.

He didn't turn to her, his gaze focused on Gracia as his wife rocked their little girl from side to side. Around them, people talked and laughed, having fun with the small party the Hughes' family had thrown.

Maes straightened his glasses, smiling lightly at the sight in front of him, for the small baby had grabbed a fistful of Roy's hair and had started pulling at it relentlessly.

"Usually, I'm very good at reading people. They are not as subtle with their little tells as they think themselves to be, specially when it comes to feelings like anger or love." He chuckled. "It's part of my job, I guess, to read their bodies for information. Just another quirk of being on Intelligence."

The man paused, waiting for one of their colleagues to pass by them.

"But I can never be sure when it comes to you, Riza."

It was her turn to shift her gaze from his, trying to hide the emotion that she knew would appear in her eyes. Riza didn't need anyone to tell her about how detached she could be, it was something that she was both proud and ashamed of.

"I know I can seem cold, Maes." Came her reply, almost a whisper among the loud noises of the party.

The man's expression turned serious then and he put a hand on her shoulder, forcing the lieutenant to look at him.

"You are like the queen of misunderstanding me, aren't you?" He chuckled humorlessly. "You are reserved and that's okay. It's one of those things that makes you, well, you, and we love you for that." Maes moved his hands in the air, aggravated, but regaining his usual cheerfulness. "But my question remains."

His wink made Riza laugh and she leaned back into the grass, amused.

"Hughes, you are one of the people I respect most, for you have seen me in my worst and accepted the monster my actions made me into. I will be forever grateful for your tenderness towards me, and for your kindness towards others."

There was a moment of silence as the two shared a smile, lost in the remembrances of their friendship.

"You could have just said that we were friends, Hawkeye, no need to get so deep and formal with me!" The man exclaimed suddenly, throwing his arms up with liveliness. She laughed again.

"Fine." Riza acquiesced, shaking her head in mocking condemnation of his ways. She stopped, raising her eyes to meet his with softness. "We are friends, Maes."

He grinned.

"Just what I wanted to hear!" But the joy in his tone slipped off his expression in the next moment, leaving a gentleness that wasn't there before. "I just wanted to make sure before saying this." His eyes glanced back at his wife and best friend. "He loves you. You do know that, right?"

The comment astonished her and the woman had to blink a few times before being able to break away from his gaze.

"I'm being serious, Riza. I know him better than most, and so do you. Roy likes to seem imperturbable, but he is not. Specially when it comes to you. Those days in Ishbal… I don't think I had ever seen him appear so defeated. Still, there was something about the look on his eyes when he saw it was you under that hood. I didn't recognize it then. I do now." He grabbed her elbow, trying to make her look back at him. "It's the same way I looked at Gracia when I came back; the disbelief that such an incredible thing could exist among awfulness like the one I had just escaped from."

Maes paused, probably to peek at his wife once again, obviously affected by the memory of the war. Riza couldn't be sure, though, because she was frowning at the ground in an attempt to get away from his words.

"Why are you telling me all of this, Maes?" The words struggled against her throat, forcing their way out. "I'm just his adjutant, nothing more."

The man exhaled heavily, frustrated.

"But you are, Riza. You are so much more than that to him." He took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. "There is nothing you can do about it, really. His goals are the most important thing for the two of you right now, but I do wish you could see how you behave around each other. _I'm telling you this because I want you to be happy_."

She finally met his gaze.

"I am."

The Intelligence operant smiled soothingly at her, letting out a laugh.

"Then, I want _him_ to be happy." He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What I'm actually getting at is: do _you_ love him?"

Riza pressed her lips together, shifting her eyes to where Roy was still trying to disentangle himself from the little Elicia. A smile took her lips almost unconsciously.

The idea terrified her. For most of her life, she had known and liked Roy Mustang. He had been a support after her father's death and an inspiration when the time came for her to find a purpose in life. The way he cared for her had conquered her friendship and his beliefs had brought up her loyalty to him.

But, some place down the road, had those feelings grown into something else?

The lieutenant turned back to Hughes, bewildered by the direction her thoughts had taken. The man gazed at her with sympathy and tranquility, compelling her to answer his question.

"I…" She hesitated, trying to wipe the confusion from her mind. "I might."

* * *

It's me again! So, I just really, really like the idea that Roy fell for her first. Reviews are the aliment of my will to write!


	6. Nerve

**It takes time** by larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Nerve**

_noun_

**1** (one's nerve or one's nerves) one's steadiness and courage in a demanding situation: _he kept his nerve and won five games in a row_

**_2_**_ [mass noun]_ _informal_ impudence or audacity: _he had the nerve to insult my cooking_

_[in singular]: she's got a nerve wearing that short skirt with those legs_

* * *

The light that shines into the office is of reddish warmth, as the sun stretches its last, lazy beams before retracting behind the horizon. The afternoon is coming to an end, leaving the coldness – but also the haziness – of the night in its place.

All around Riza Hawkeye, soldiers talk and laugh, letting their exhaustion pry them away from their jobs and into friendly chatter, distracting their minds for a bit in order to regain their liveliness. Prolonging their work hours has always seemed to be a worthy sacrifice when it came to achieving the sense of unity they now have.

Her lips twist, making the stern façade in Riza's expression waver.

It only lasts a moment, though, because the papers she had been carrying were to be presented to General Mustang immediately, and the woman can't allow herself to be distracted by soft words and the altogether cheeriness of her colleagues – because things have certainly changed since Grumman became Fuhrer and she isn't sure what to make of the sudden lightness of everybody's attitude -, even though she probably wouldn't have joined them anyway.

Riza just isn't that kind of girl, not unless among those she is closer to.

Not that her team is any different, the captain realizes as she walks into the general's office.

Breda is leaning into the fading sunlight, propping his chair on its back legs with such a relaxed posture that he almost looks asleep. Nearby, Havoc is chuckling alongside Falman, who appears to be telling him some sort of tale about his first day on Briggs. On the other side of the room, Fuery seems to be the only one still working, but Riza knows his scribbling can very well mean the boy is writing one of his small stories, which are much more his thoughts than anything else but are as sweet as can be.

She is one of the few people Kain actually shows his texts to, though, and the woman just can't bring herself to be mad at him for having the need to write such beautiful things about life, loss and, well, the team.

Her arrival doesn't faze the rest of them; Fuery flashes her a smile, Havoc winks and Breda glances at her contently before making a tactless comment about whatever Falman has been sharing with them. Their reactions are expected, of course, and Riza crosses the room with nothing more than a wave of recognition.

The general isn't in the room, however, so she just drops the documents on top of many others that still rest in his desktop. She goes through them for a while, trying to determine which ones can remain unattended until the end of the week, because she knows how Roy Mustang can be and the last thing Riza wants right now is to spend her weekend in the office.

She is about to go back to her desk when the doors open and her superior walks in, accompanied by Olivier Armstrong and a couple of her soldiers. Riza recognizes them as the ones that were entrusted with Winry Rockbell's protection and she can't help it but to feel a rush of gratitude for them.

Riza has always been strangely fond of those children.

Major Armstrong shakes her head in acknowledgement to the team's presence, but continues to speak to the general in an annoyed tone that Hawkeye knows not to be completely truthful, for Olivier appreciates – in a very deep, very well hidden part of her heart – most of what Roy does for Amestris.

One of the men turns to her and smiles, though, his dark brown eyes shining strangely, and Riza softens her expression in return, because, really, she knows Soldier Liam, even if not very well, and he has always been so pleasant that the captain finds no reason not to repay such kindness.

This is the wrong thing to do.

The soldier shares a look with his colleague before moving in her direction with firm, soft steps, that seem to echo in the small office.

It's not unusual for the Briggs' men to be present at Central, nowadays. It's been a month since the Promise Day, but the details of its events still have to be explained; they need to have their stories straight for it to be put into official records, before the events can be put behind them – this remembrance makes the healing scar on her neck itch, but Riza knows better than to touch it when around Roy.

Still, it's not common for the soldier from North to act so friendly and Liam's actions make the captain feel a bit jumpy.

"Captain Hawkeye." He greets her and his voice is gentle, but a bit too rough, like his lungs are not quite the same after so many years in the cold. "Riza, right?"

If their situation wasn't weird before, it is now. Hawkeye feels the others are looking at them, but doesn't turn to them because a) it would be rude of her; and b) she can't reprehend them for their shock when Riza herself feels like having entered a parallel universe. In their defense, Fuery doesn't stop writing, Breda doesn't open his eyes, Falman and Havoc don't interrupt their talking. The fact that she just _knows_ that they are paying attention shows how close they actually are.

The fact that no one else would notice their actions is just a reminder of how this bunch of idiots, who like to tease each other and talk about the most mundane of things, are truly brilliant men, full of loyalty, kindness and _efficiency_.

_How could I ever deserve people like this?_, the woman asks herself, the thought filling her mind so much she almost forgets to form a reply to Liam. _Like Breda, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, like the Elric brothers, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh and Alex Armstrong, who aren't really in the team, but are there nonetheless. Like Maes Hughes…_

It makes Riza wonder if there is a God, because this feels too much like a retribution for all the pain she has gone through, too much like forgiveness for all the things she did and for which she can't forgive herself.

"I know we haven't talked much, but I thought, maybe, you'd like to go get dinner with me…" By the end of his sentence, it's almost a question, and it brings Riza away from her thoughts. "Tonight." Liam adds, still looking at her with kind eyes and a small, confident smile.

This time, in spite of how offensive it may look, the captain looks around at her colleagues, searching for something, an excuse or a motive or anything. All she finds is wide eyes, a scoff – from Havoc – and what could be pain in Roy's expression.

Hawkeye meets his eyes for a second and, when she turns to the soldier again, what comes out of her mouth feels a bit like defiance.

"The anti-fraternization law doesn't apply to militaries from different centers." She says, but the words feel dry and the smile, fake. "I don't see why not."

She goes on the date.

* * *

"Did you hear about yesterday? Soldier Liam asked Hawkeye on a date!" Someone says in a tone that can only be of admiration. "I never knew he had the nerve!"

"Yeah, I heard. And she said yes, that's what is just eating at me." The other man groans, running a hand through his hair. "I wish I had done it, instead. There aren't many girls like that around central."

His friend rolls his eyes.

"It's a special breed from the countryside, I guess."

They laugh.

"Do you think they will be a thing from now on, then?"

Another guy appears by their side, scoffing.

"What? Haven't you heard? Apparently, this girl, Vanessa, appeared in the middle of the dinner, yelling at Liam for leaving her with promises of marriage up north only for her to come find him in central with another woman." The third, older man smirked, satisfied with being able to share this part of the gossip. The other two frown.

"You mean he was cheating on her? That is horrible. What did Hawkeye do?"

"Tt-" The man crosses his arms over his chest. "He wasn't cheating on anyone. The girl, pretty little thing, is a hostess from one of these bars here in central. Everybody knows her. She was just faking and the captain knew that, but Liam had no idea what was happening, since he is from Briggs." The man scrunches up his face, now, obviously confused by what he is going to tell next. "The thing is... My sources tell me that Hawkeye kind of just stared at Vanessa for the longest time, before getting up, kissing Liam on the cheek, saying that 'she was sorry, but they would never work, anyway.' and leaving the restaurant. She even paid for her own food!"

There is a moment of silence and, then, a laughter echoes through the walls of the coffee room. The three men turn abruptly to find Jean Havoc leaning against the window on the outside of the building.

"Well, she is Mustang's girl, after all." He mumbles against his cigarette. "The General wasn't about to just let someone take his place." Havoc laughs once again. "The nerve of the guy."

His voice as he says that last bit is full of indignation and humor, and the three soldiers don't know if Havoc is talking about Liam or Mustang.

* * *

I don't know if it's any good, but this idea just wouldn't leave me. Please, review, I want to know what you guys think; that is, if there is anyone actually reading and liking this.


	7. Liar

**It takes time** by Larissa

For Roy and Riza, well, I guess you could say there were signs.

* * *

**Liar**

_noun_

a person who tells lies: _the man was a notorious liar_

* * *

"Chaos to Hawk. Do you copy, Hawk?"

Riza shudders internally at the codenames the others have decided on, being suddenly reminded of childhood friends and playing spy in the backyard of old Barnaby. However, there is a man trying to grab for her throat and this mission is very much real, so there isn't much time for reminiscing.

She knees his stomach before striking at his neck and the man falls to the ground, unconscious.

"I copy, Chaos. What's your status?" The woman exhales through her mouth loudly, activating her microphone as she takes in her own situation.

There are a lot of guns but whomever they belong to is not here and the lieutenant takes this as an opportunity to restock; she had to shoot her way in and the pistol in her hand is almost empty.

"Not good." Hawkeye hears Havoc sigh on the other side of the line. "We are cornered, but holding up. Rage is trying to keep the line on, but I'm not sure we will last. We need reinforcements."

Worry stirs in the woman's chest, because Havoc is pretty well trained, but Fuery is still too young, too inexperienced, and they hadn't been prepared for this sort of counter attack.

The tip was a bust, they knew that from the beginning. The source was to meet them in an abandoned industrial park on the other side of Central and the whole thing smelled of ambush, but they couldn't let the opportunity pass.

They had been after these weapon smugglers for months and this was their first real clue of their movements. The colonel had been wise in taking the whole team, instead of just his adjutant; it was a preventive action, in case things went wrong.

Things had gone worse than expected, though.

The smugglers were prepared for them, having filled the industrial park with men armed to their teeth.

Riza is getting the details of their position when she hears the sound of footsteps above her. She stares at the rifle in front of her for a second that lasts almost a lifetime, before attaching it to her back. The weapon feels familiar, but uncomfortable, a reminder of what the military has turned her into, of the things she has done.

It feels like carrying the weight of the world.

"Give me a minute."

Someone bursts into the room as Hawkeye grabs a gun. She shoots the weapon out of their hands, making time in order to get to the window. There are clothes hanging on a line outside; she doesn't take long wondering what happened to their owners, though, for other gunmen have arrived and the woman only has time to fire a round before doing a backflip onto the fire escape behind her.

In the light of the room, she can see the silhouette of a black cape hanging near and Riza launches herself at it. Her calculations were correct, because she's suddenly sliding down in the direction of the adjacent building, which the lieutenant hopes to be empty.

She lands in a roll, but her arms feel sore and the woman is pretty sure her leg is bleeding.

"Chaos, have you found any sign of Flame?"

The question is made as she lies on the ground, rifle in hand, after making sure she is alone. There is no one out there and Riza is very glad that she won't be forced to kill. Not yet, at least.

"No smoke in sight. We lost contact with WO and Chill." Havoc's tone grows malicious as he speaks. The woman knows he means well but it's hardly the time for him to be making implications about her and the colonel.

As she makes her way to their hide out – just one or two buildings away from where she is now –, Hawkeye can't help but feel dread sinking into her stomach. Questions of where the others might be and of how they are going to contact help appear in her mind; running is all she can do to stop herself from panicking.

"Chaos?" Her voice is loud in the empty corridor. She knows something is wrong, because there should be gunmen here.

The woman tries her earpiece but the line is dead.

"They are not going to answer you, girly."

They appear from thin air, or that's what it seems. Two men, both with weapons that look way too big for close range, but they are the kind of guys that wouldn't know how to distinguish a Colt from a Webley, so Riza doesn't think much of it.

They are close in the constricted space of the hallways. She has her gun drawn, but the men seem to think she's not a threat.

Hawkeye knows there is only one bullet for her to use but that is all she needs. She fires.

The shot goes straight through the first man's shoulder and into the second's arm. They wobble on their feet, too surprised and in pain to react.

"You little bitch!" One of them shouts, trying to aim at her. However, he stumbles backwards, falling to the ground with a hollow thump.

"What you're feeling is a neurotoxin in which I coat all of my bullets. It paralyzes my target, giving me enough time to get away." She explains in a stern tone. "Or kill them."

The laughter she hears in the next moment has nothing to do with the two men in front of her, alerting Riza to the presence of another person in the corridor.

A woman in her late thirties shakes her head at the lieutenant, as if she disapproves of the other's ways. The smile in her tanned face is disturbing, in a mix of amused and sarcastic that reminds Riza of Solf Kimbley. The comparison is anything but comforting.

"The famous Hawk's eye." The stranger chuckles softly, scratching the side of her neck with her gun. "It's such an honor to meet you. Those two soldiers that we found earlier were calling for you quite desperately. In the delirious state my venom put them, I almost didn't understand who they were talking about." She snaps her tongue as if incredulous that she would make such a mistake. "They were making so much noise, though… We had to shut them up."

The anger that rises with the implicit meaning of her words is something that is expected, but it overwhelms the lieutenant to a degree she couldn't have imagined.

Riza grabs one of the guns she borrowed from the storage room, trying to take advantage of the other's apparent ease, but the woman is just as fast and the weapon glides across the corridor, disappearing in the darkness of the night.

They collide into a mess of punches and kicks.

"We could make a deal. All I want is to finish that little Colonel of yours." The woman hisses as they fight. Her exclamation is met with a fist to her jaw.

"You'll have to go through me first, Zathlyn." The use of her name makes the brunette stagger and Hawkeye is able to strike once again, pushing the woman against the wall with her shoulder.

The satisfaction in her eyes doesn't seem to faze the other woman, because Zathlyn smiles. A knife slides from up her sleeve and she presses it to the lieutenant's neck in a movement that is too quick to be stopped. It takes a second for Riza to realize her mistake.

"You underestimated me, Hawk's eye." Her tone is sickeningly sweet, in the way adults talk to children that are being especially difficult. "Don't worry, though, I won't make your mistakes when I'm taking care of the rest of your team; those two on the other room, the colonel and the ones that stood guard. I'll be particularly careful with the Flame Alchemist, as he seems so important to you."

Riza feels herself being forced into the opposite wall, the blade against her skin as a reminder of what will happen if she tries to free herself.

"The colonel will find you." The blonde snaps back with gritted teeth.

This seems to catch the woman's attention, because she leans forward, her brown creased in curiosity.

"Really? Why would he go through such trouble over the death of a mere subordinate?" Zathlyn replies petulantly. Then, as if something occurs to her, the woman's expression melts into wide eyes and a twisted smirk. "Unless… Unless you're in love!"

The manner she proclaims it is so victorious that Riza almost rolls her eyes. Instead, she glares.

In her mind, memories start coming to life.

They dance in front of her eyes and she watches as Roy Mustang appears and fades from her everyday in intervals. She remembers quiet nights on her father's house, the funeral, and more quiet nights as she lets him learn flame alchemy, a secret that is more hers than his, even if no one else will ever understand that. She sees herself joining the army, both because she wants to protect their country and because she wants to protect him, and, then, time after time when she has risked everything for his safety.

The answer is there, somewhere. There is a reason for why she does all of it, but it was never something Riza wanted to be aware of, choosing to ignore it. The woman knows the realization is within her reach, but she is still unable to grasp it.

Hawkeye chokes as the knife presses into her skin, drawing blood.

"Love is for children, he owes me a debt."

Her words are defensive but it doesn't matter at this point; Riza wonders if it is clear that she's just buying time. Zathlyn hovers over her with a condescending expression that annoys and frightens her, for that twisted smile is yet to leave her lips.

"Liar," is what the woman whispers before moving to slash her throat.

Riza closes her eyes, expecting fear. All she finds is relief that somewhere in the building, Havoc and Fuery are still alive, and a strange kind of awareness that is less painful than it is tragic.

_I'm going to die_, she thinks. _How sad._

What comes next is unexpected; flames and shouts and a body that is familiar in ways it shouldn't.

Riza opens her eyes and stares at him, grateful and trembling, taking in the expression of worry Roy wears. She does it out of denial, much more than out of necessity, letting the Colonel know that she is fine, as the man gestures for Falman and Breda to find Havoc and Fuery.

The woman lies to herself, because she refuses to acknowledge that his was the last face to appear in her mind as she thought she was going to die.

* * *

Yes, that reply was based on a quote from Avengers. I feel like Riza was kind of ooc, but I was trying to show her badassery. Anyway... Reviews?


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